In the Enemy's Grasp
by Electronic-Star
Summary: Natasha's kidnapped and tortured by Ross. Bruce isn't too happy about it.


**Anonymous** requested: Prompt: Natasha is kidnapped and tortured by Ross. Bruce isn't too happy

 **In the Enemy's Grasp**

Natasha's gone. That's all Bruce could think of in the last few months. Natasha's gone...vanished...just disappeared from all radars. When she didn't come back from her mission, Bruce knew something's wrong. Panic already creeped up on him, but Tony tried to calm him saying she just had a few more butts to kick.

When she didn't come back days later the panic was real for him. While he was afraid and worried, the other guy was as angry as ever. But this time it felt like he couldn't direct that anger. At her for not coming back to him or at him for letting this happen. Maybe it was both and Bruce had to agree on the second reason. If he came with her...or if he just prevented her from going...she'd still be here.

Then, when not even Clint could track her down, Bruce couldn't stand still anymore. He was pacing around nonstop, trying to think of a way to find her. But if Clint of all people failed to find her, what could he do?

Now, months later, the team was still working to find Natasha. But no matter what they tried, there's still no trace of her. Nat was the perfect spy, if she wanted to be hidden she stayed hidden. But Bruce knew that she wouldn't just vanish like this. Without telling him, or Clint. He knew something happened to her in that mission. He just knew it. And he had to find her fast!

"Bruce!" The scientist turned away from his holographic monitor, to see Tony running into the lab. And his expression already told him that he knew something important. "We found her."

Nat slowly woke up, her body trying desperately to fight the drugs in her system off. Her head hurt like hell, someone must've hit her there she could smell dried blood. She lay on a cold ground, the room was dark and seemed very small. When she wanted to sit up, she noticed her hands were tied behind her back and so were her legs.

She tried to free herself, but the drugs still weakened her. And so all she could do was lie there and wait for something to happen. It didn't even take that long for something to happen because minutes later the heavy metal door opened. In came two men who roughly grabbed her tied back arms and dragged her out of the room without saying a word. Natasha couldn't do anything to prevent it and so they dragged her limp body into another room.

This room was much bigger and the neon lamp shone bright enough to temporarily blind her. Then she's been pushed forward and found herself on the ground again. "Sorry for the roughness." Said a familiar voice then. "But you've put up a real good fight there." Gritting her teeth, she looked up at Thaddeus Ross. Right, now she remembered that Ross' men attacked her. That the mission was a trap.

Natasha tried again to sit up, but her body wouldn't obey. Ross pulled her up on her knees then and grabbed her face, making her look at him. "What do you want?" She hissed, glaring at him darkly. "Don't worry, it's not you I want. I just want your green friend and some information's on his whereabouts." He's so predictable. Of course he's after Bruce, but he should know that she wouldn't talk.

Instead of telling him so, she decided let her actions talk and spit in his face. Ross immediately pushed her away and she landed right on the wound on her head. It must've opened up again, because she could see fresh blood dripping from her forehead.

"Well, it's not surprising that you're not cooperating. But maybe my friends can make you talk." The two guys that dragged her into this room grabbed her again to a bathtub that was way out of place here. Natasha already knew what's gonna happen when she saw the tub full with water. The second they arrived, her head was pushed underwater. She let it happen —not that she had any strength to fight back— and tried to hold her breath as long as she could.

It eventually became unbearable und she began to struggle, but her head remained underwater. When she felt like fainting and/or drowning, she was pulled out and landed roughly on the ground again, coughing heavily.

"Well? Are you going to cooperate now?" Asked Ross and once Natasha's coughed all the water out of her lung she snarled at him. "Do you think this is enough to make me spill it?" He didn't answer immediately; she was just pulled up again. "No." Ross replied, before her head was pushed back underwater.

After every torture session, they gave her more drugs to weaken her. It was actually very clever of them to make her stay weak because they all knew that if she could regain her strength _she_ was the stronger one again.

This was going on for days, maybe even weeks now. A few days later Ross got tired of her and just left her with his men. He only said that they could do anything to her to make her talk. Until now she's almost drowned, was electrocuted, burned, hit, stabbed, shot at, poisoned, they even used her own weapons against herself.

But Natasha's been through similar things and especially now that it's about Bruce, she's staying strong till she could fight her way out of this. But with so many drugs in her system and with more coming everyday it could be harder than she thought. All she could do for now was wait for Ross to come back and hope he's falling for her tricks...

He took his sweet time though and she had to endure more and more of his guy's methods to beat the info's out of her.

When she was pushed into Ross' private torture room again weeks later, he waited for her then. It was time to put on her mask. "Are you ready to talk now?" Natasha made herself look weak, she didn't look up at him and curled up on the floor. He came closer and kneeled down in front of her. Then he took her face and made her look at him like the first time.

"Where is Banner?" He asked, tightening his grip on her jaw. The redhead closed her eyes, letting some tears spill. She shook her head one last time, telling him silently that she wouldn't tell him. When his men grabbed her again, she fought back. "I don't know where he is!" She yelled, making them stop at their motions.

Natasha opened her eyes, looking at Ross pleadingly. "He left without telling us. I don't know where he is." Ross came closer again, kneeling down to have a better look at her eyes. Her pleading and tearful stayed just like that. They stared at each other for a minute, before Ross turned away from her. "I don't believe you." He said, before she's being dragged on a heavy metal chair. They chained her onto it and she was instantly electrocuted.

Tony led him to the common room where Clint and Steve were waiting for them. Something in him snapped when he saw Ross' face on the big tv screen. He could already guess what happened. Tony looked at him sympathically, when he noticed him glare at the man's face, before playing the recording.

And it was just like he thought. Ross kidnapped her and will only let her free when Bruce surrendered. He balled his hands into fists, tightening it enough to make his knuckles turn white. Then he stepped aside to reveal an unconscious Natasha, tied to a chair. There were cuts and bruises all over her and how knew what else they've done to her. The other guy came closer to the surface now, wanting nothing else than to crush Ross and save Nat.

"Don't worry, bud, we'll get her out of there." Said Tony and put a hand on his shoulder, probably to ground him. "We need to act fast."

"We need a plan first." Interrupted Steve the archer. "We can't just go there and see what happens." Tony sighed. "I hate to say it but Cap's right. Any ideas?"

"I'll go in. Alone." Said Bruce, once he brought the other guy back under control. Going green wouldn't help Nat at all and for once the other guy agreed. They needed to think before they smash. "No." Replied Tony, before turning to the others. "Anything else?"

"Maybe Banner's right." Said Steve thoughtfully, while the billionaire shot a glare at him. "Say what?" At least one of them was on his side..."Ross wants Banner, right? If he pretends to surrender and brings some of Nat's weapons with him they could easily get out of there."

"Could work." Mumbled Clint thoughtfully. "They surely drugged her. He should also bring something to neutralize it. I've got something." Bruce nodded. "If anything goes wrong, the other guy can take care of things." He could see that Tony was still against him going to him on his own, but he also trusted him enough to let him do this. "Okay then. We'll be nearby, if you need us just say the word."

Tony left a message for Ross that the team will come to him to trade Bruce for Natasha with the condition that he's gonna see her. Ross agreed and told them where and when to meet him and Bruce was glad that they both wanted to get this over with quickly.

They met Ross in a highly secured facility and his condition was that Bruce should come in first to prevent him from running away. Bruce obeyed, trying to hold back the other guy as best as he could. At least until he saw Natasha. "Where's Natasha? I wanna see her." Ross was really reckless, too. He barely examined her and couldn't find the well-hidden weapons and syringe yet. Maybe he thought he's too desperate to try anything. Or he had another plan..."You will."

They went even deeper into the building, before he could meet Natasha. She could barely stand and all the injuries on her tugged at his heart. He quickly ran to her and enveloped her in a hug. On one hand because he really missed her and on the other hand to give her the things he brought her. "Natasha." He mumbled into her hair and discretely injected her with the stuff Clint gave him to help her regain her strength.

Unlike Ross, she immediately found the two guns hidden underneath his jacket, as she hugged him back. "I brought your favorites." He whispered in her ear and felt her smile against his neck. "You know exactly what a girl likes, huh?"

"Only what you like." He replied truthfully. This sweet moment didn't last long, though because they still needed to get out of here. "What's the plan?" She asked then and he felt her holding onto him tighter. Surely to tell him that she's ready for whatever comes.

"Can you fight your way out of here? The team is here and the other guy can help, too. Just say the word." Behind them Ross became impatient. "That's enough of the chit-chat!" Bruce and Natasha ignored him, though. "You have to transform fast, then. I've heard he has a device to prevent Hulk from coming out." The scientist nodded. This would be very easy right now.

He's been furious since he watched Ross' message and once again he and the other guy agreed to do this fast. It seemed they agree a lot when it comes to Natasha. Ross seemed to notice that something's wrong, but he's too late because Nat finally said the two words he's for once looking forward to hear. "Code Green." Bruce barely had the time to give Nat an earpiece, before he's transforming with a speed he didn't know was possible.

The guards that 'helped' her walking where frozen when they suddenly saw her big green friend and this gave Natasha the chance to take them out before they could even react. She looked back at the big guy and nodded, while he grinned at her and began to destroy everything in sight. Thanks to Bruce she was almost back to normal. The drugs quickly vanished from her system and she could fight again.

The injuries still hurt like hell, but she ignored them. She needed to fight right now and could rest later. More men arrived and attacked both of them, but Hulk protected her from the hail of bullets before charging at them. Ross already fled in the chaos, but he'll get what he deserved eventually. Nat put the earpiece in her ear then. "Stark? Wanna join in the fun?"

"Give us a minute." Came his voice over the comm. He sounded happy to hear her and so did the others. "Glad to hear you're still you, Tasha."

"Who else should I be, Barton?" She asked jokingly, before helping Hulk —as if he needed help— with the guys trying to take them down. "Are you okay, Natasha?" Asked Steve then to make sure nothing too bad happened to her. "Sure. I can fight." She replied, even though it's not the answer Steve wanted. "I'd just like to eat something and sleep for a few days."

"You're gonna get a feast." Said Steve, chuckling even in the midst of a battle. "How about shawarma, guys?" Suggested Tony. Since their first fight as a team he began to love this. "Or we could get a little bit of everything." Asked Clint and Tony agreed immediately. "Sounds better!"

Natasha wasn't paying much attention to their little chat, she needed to kick some ass and watch out for flying debris coming from Hulk. Then when things seemed to have quietened down Tony landed in front of her. "Hey." He greeted, his faceplate going up. "Time to go home." Nat nodded, but before they could go Hulk ran towards them and pulled her back from Tony, roaring at him loudly as if he's saying 'don't come near her!'. "Okay. You get her out." Was all Tony said, his faceplate going down again and flew to the exit.

Hulk looked at her with worry in his eyes, but Nat tried to ease his mind by smiling at him. "I'm fine. Now let's get out of here, okay?" The big guy grunted, holding her hand out to her to help her climb up his back. They've done this a few times already and now they're a real good team. Once she was settled on his back he began to ran out, pushing everything away that blocked his way.

The big guy destroyed the building enough that it began to collapse once they're outside. Then she climbed off Hulks back and was back in another embrace. "We missed you, Nat." Said Clint, holding her tightly. But he let go again, when Hulk growled at him. "Hey, easy big guy..." He said nervously and slowly backed away, while Hulk kept snarling at him and pulled Natasha towards him. "Easy big guy. I'm okay." Natasha gently held his arm and he became visibly calmer.

"Sun's getting real low." For the first time it didn't take anything else for Bruce to come back and he also transformed back in front of everyone. At least he still had his super stretchy pants on, everything else are little shreds now. "Hey, welcome back." The redhead kneeled down at the lying Bruce and put his head on her lap. "I should be taking care of you." He mumbled, looking up at her intently.

"You did." Nat and Tony helped him up and then went back to the jet together. Once there Natasha claimed the most comfortable chair and closed her eyes. These were some pretty fucked up weeks —or months?— she needed a little nap. The drugs may be gone, but she was still extremely tired and all the injuries she got there hurt even more. They even reminded her of some sprained body parts.

They didn't hurt as much when she was still drugged. Not that she wanted to be drugged again. While she slept, she felt someone's hand —most likely Bruce's— stroking her face and pushing some strands of hair away. It's good to be home again.


End file.
